In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London

Charles W. Cushman’s London

April 13, 2018

by the gentle author

American Photographer Charles Weaver Cushman (1896-1972) visited London only a couple of times and yet, alongside shots of landmarks such as Big Ben & Trafalgar Sq, he recorded these rare and unexpected images of markets and street vendors in Kodachrome. He bequeathed over 14,000 of his images to Indiana University, where the entire range of his work may be explored in the Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection.

…..”It seems we stood and talked like this before
We looked at each other in the same way then,
But I don’t remember
Where or when……”
The photos show places I have never been, people I have never known, voices I have never heard.
But the stories tumble out, I can feel the hustle/bustle, can imagine the street sounds, feel the impulse to buy one of those frothy pink crinolines (on Petticoat Lane, no less). These are more than photos — they are memories. I agree with the other reader — the color palette of the photos
is a reminder of movies/magazines/photo albums of the era.
Thanks for the time travel, GA.

The buskers in the pictures,where a husband and wife team,with her playing the accordion in the back ground, they would then come around with the hat,then shoot off in their car,parked in Soho,and head back to Chingford Essex, to their smart house. They also played Sunday mournings at my Dads pub,as well as others in Bethnal Green,nice people,always pleasant

Meat from Smithfield being unloaded from a un fridgerated lorry, was normal then,until my cousins got them into deep freeze lorries back in the 1960s, blood everywhere was a common site around the market then,crusted into your hands and overalls

School boys at water fountain,remind me of myself,and friends, same drinking spot!!!! We thought we looked a bit posh in our school uniforms when we got back home, socks with blood on, very common site back then,after all they had to last all week,happy days

The London Bridge picture, reminds me of catching the Banna Boat,docked to the right of the picture,down the steps side of Bridge, for a winters cruise,somewhere hot,think we made it twice, very small and make do,but good laughs with the crew.

In response to Caroline Bottomley, above: Chipstead Valley is south of London, beyond Croydon and Purley.

Charles Cushman was an American advertising executive and accomplished amateur photographer, most active in the 1940s and 50s. He shot his wife; she survived, and bizarrely, so did their marriage. His unusual story is told in ‘The Day in its Color: Charles Cushman’s Photographic Journey Through a Vanishing America’, by Eric Sandweiss, Oxford University Press, 2012.

The 20s/30s building in the background of the first photo made me realise that architecture of that era is currently in its “old rubbish, get rid of it” phase, the same way Victoriana was in the 60s and 70s.

The more prestige art deco offices and flats are considered architecturally important and some are listed, but there are many commercial and industrial buildings of the era which are neglected and large numbers have no doubt been demolished over the past few decades. Most people wouldn’t give them a second glance, making them effectively invisible.

I like the curved windows which are very much a hallmark of that period – I suppose they’d only just developed a process to manufacture large pieces of curved glass and wanted to show it off as much as possible.

I wonder how long it will be before something “clicks” and people start to think a few might be worth preserving. Buildings of the type in this photo could be very useful if renovated and made into flats or offices.

Copyright

Unauthorized use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Spitalfields Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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